The Outsider
by Kuroi Tenshi1
Summary: Hanamichi leaves the team. But someone starts missing him... RuHana
1. Prologue

Title: Outsider

Author: Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]

Pairings: RuHana

Warnings: Shounen Ai, cursing and some stuff but they're relatively harmless... ^_^

OOC as well, but you'll see why

Notes: This is actually important and not just minor rambling. If you've seen the episode with the "camp-shot-training" where Hanamichi learns to do jump shots [oops! You _have_ seen it, right? ^^;; Sorry for the spoilers], you'll have to totally erase that from your memory as you read this little ficcie. Hanamichi's learning it _himself_, meaning he's his own sensei. That's all. Thanks. Back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction. ^_^

==================

Hanamichi concentrated on relaxing. His chocolate brown eyes briefly slid shut as he willed himself to calm his rapidly beating heart. It was funny, how one had to concentrate on _relaxing_. But it was really hard to relax when you're adrenaline was pumping and your heart was beating more than eighty times in a minute.

Nightfall had long come and the team had gone home. His usual after-practice basics training with Ayako had ended two hours ago and his most hated rival had left him in his secret haven alone after the dirty looks and not-so-friendly remarks from the so-called Tensai. He knew most of the team members didn't know about him staying longer than an hour or two after practice. But after discovering one night that the gym actually gave some sort of sanctuary for him that no other place offered, his stays after practice become longer; hours speeding past him as he practiced and perfected the skills and moves he knew.

Rukawa would leave long before thoughts of going home and resting his tired muscles entered Hanamichi's mind. Explaining why no one knew how well he improved. The lay-up shots, dunks and rebounding he had been taught were no longer his _only_ weapon. He was secretly training himself to embed the way he'd shoot from a distance, like the jump shots everybody so wonderfully did.

As he relaxed and his body picked up the natural rhythm, he made the ball go sailing right into the basket, not even touching a bit of net. He smiled to himself, satisfied. He still had to practice to make his body adapt to the moves he makes; to make his movements more fluid and graceful. Picking up the basketball that now rolled on the floor quietly, he made his way toward the locker room.

He still had a long way to go. All the other members of the team had been playing long before him and somehow, he couldn't get that certain feeling out of his head.

The feeling that after all the work he'd been through, he was still an outsider.

~*~*~*~

"I don't know what he does at night when he practices here," Ayako shook her head, the dark brown curls of her hair bouncing lightly as she did. She and Ryota had been discussing Hanamichi and his "late night" practices. They've been noticing that the redhead had been spending a lot of time staying way after practices.

Even Rukawa goes home before he does. They couldn't help but feel like there was something Hanamichi was doing that he wouldn't let the others know about. The two were standing at the sides, waiting for the rest of the team to change and for the coach to arrive. Some members were already warming up on the court at the middle.

Kogure smiled at them as he passed by, giving Mitsui a soft smile as he helped the other senior with his stretching exercise. The two watched in silence before Ayako spoke again. "Do you think there's something else that goes on during those 'practices'?"

"What do you mean?" The shortest of the starting members asked.

Ayako shrugged. "I don't know… like maybe there's something _else_ he's doing during practice?"

"Something else like…?"

"Ryota!"

"What?" the boy said, smiling impishly, giving her his most innocent look. "It's not my fault that your line of thinking is something different from mine."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." Then hushed down when said first year came and greeted them before he joined the others in warming up. Ryota and Ayako watched him in silence before the boy straightened up.

"I guess I should go warm up too," he said, giving "his" Aya-chan a shy smile, blushing as she smiled back. He jogged toward the other freshmen who were doing some warm up exercises. Not long after, Akagi and the coach arrived and practice began.

Ayako couldn't help but notice how Sakuragi's moves seemed to have improved. She was again amazed by the progress the young man was making. Barely three months had passed since he uttered the words "I hate basketball" and now he was training hard with the team to go to the national championships.

The gym door (which they kept closed to fend off Rukawa's rabid fan club) burst open and a girl with long blond hair ran past them and hid behind the coach. Some people who noticed stared at her, surprised and bewildered that one would use the coach as some sort of fort and hiding place.

After a throng of weird groupies ran past the gym door, the girl cautiously looked around to make sure none of the groupies—obviously the ones she was hiding from—had found her. After being sure, she stood up from her crouched position on the floor and dusted off her uniform. As she did, she glanced at the practicing team and raised an eyebrow in interest.

Ayako didn't mind people watching the team as long as they didn't scream and shriek like Rukawa's cheering squad but the girl was causing a bit of distraction. People were looking at her curiously, not only because of her sudden appearance moments ago but also for her hair and ethnicity. She was a foreigner. Obviously, if they want distraction out of the way, she'd have to leave. Some of the members were throwing glances at her now.

She cleared her throat and smiled at her. "I'm sorry but you'll have to leave," she said, trying to sound polite. She didn't want to seem like the evil witch of a manageress now, did she? She kept the smile on her face as the girl stared at her for a few seconds longer before replying.

"But why?"

"We don't allow outsiders inside," she said.

The girl shrugged and pointed at the other spectators, now torn between watching the team practice and watching Ayako speak to the pretty foreigner. "They're allowed inside too?" When silence met her answer, she smiled. "Don't worry about it. I don't need to hide from those idiots anymore anyway. I can probably outrun them now that I've caught my breath," she winked before walking toward the gym doors. As she stepped out, she smiled at Ayako again. "No outsiders, huh?"

Ayako nodded. "Yes, we don't allow outsiders in."

Hanamichi was listening to the two intently, straining his ears to hear the words passed between both girls. Ryochin had the ball; he could let his guard down a bit as he listened to Ayako's words. _"We don't allow outsiders in."_

Would that apply to him as well?

He was thinking too much about Ayako's words that he failed to hear the call from Mitsui who passed the ball to him. The ball smacking him right on the face, Hanamichi felt his face heat up with embarrassment. That was definitely embarrassing. How he wanted to floor to open up and swallow him! He tried to cover the embarrassment with a laugh. "Nyahaahaha! I bet none of you can do that!"

Rukawa jogged past him as the seniors got the ball and muttered something that made Hanamichi's already deflated ego shrink smaller. "Do'aho," the other boy had said. He froze from his spot on the floor and looked down on the ground. Was he really that? Do'aho? Outsider?

As Akagi called the team members closer, Hanamichi mechanically walked toward the cluster of sweaty bodies, mind still numb from the possible realizations he was having. _Outsider_. The word kept echoing in his mind, repeating itself louder each time, filling his head with the word that it was almost impossible for him to understand what the captain was saying.

When he finally looked up, the group was already slowly dispersing; Akagi and the coach were walking out of the gym. What happened? Ishii filled him in.

"The coach and Akagi-sempai are going to cut the practice short today. They said they needed to check out some game that could help us with the future games," the boy explained. "We're allowed to leave early. But we can stay and practice too."

Hanamichi nodded, noticing that the others were already starting to clean. The other starting members were still practicing. He jogged toward Mitsui, Ryota and Rukawa. Ryota gave Hanamichi pointers in the feints while Mitsui and Rukawa played a game of one-on-one. As Hanamichi imitated what the shorter boy did, he heard some of the murmurs from the watching crowd.

"Look at that baka Sakuragi," he heard someone snicker. "He needs someone to teach him basketball all the time." Whoever the boy was with, he laughed.

He felt his face flush and concentrated on the feint, forcing himself to stop hearing the words repeated in his head. But to no avail, they kept playing over and over in his ears like a recorder insistently replaying the hated words. It was a good thing Ryota was too engrossed in staring at Ayako that he didn't seem to have heard.

Mitsui stopped from playing with the other first year and smirked. He had. "Hear that, Sakuragi?"

"They're jealous of the Tensai, that's all!" he replied, grinning like the foolish idiot he knew he was. At times like this, all he could do to try and preserve what little dignity he had left was to act nonchalantly about it; pretend as if the words weren't like knives slashing and severing his already damaged ego.

The boys had heard him. And still whispering, they continued. "Jealous?" the boy sneered to his friend, tilting his head in Hanamichi's direction. "Who's he kidding?"

"He's the outsider of the team! An amateur who knows nothing about the sport," the boy's companion scoffed. "And to think he was delusional enough to think he's better than Rukawa. He's not even one-sixteenth of him!"

Hanamichi opted to pretend that he heard nothing, grinning still as he passed the ball to Mitsui and watch the senior make a perfect three-point shot. "Watch the knees, Micchi. You might break them again since you're getting too old! Nyaahahaha!"

"I didn't break them before," Mitsui frowned. "Who're you to tell me something like that? You're just a beginner."

"An amateur," Ryota added, laughing as Hanamichi's eyes widened and he growled at them. Obviously, he heard what the spectators were saying.

"Look who's talking, you need to grow a few more inches, Ryochin!"

"And you need to learn more basic training!"

"Teme, Kitsune!"

"Do'aho."

"Why, you—!" He grabbed the ball from Rukawa and was about to show them the result of his "late nice practice" training when he heard words that made him freeze on the spot.

"But you have to admit, you're still a beginner," Mitsui commented. "You still have a lot to learn before you can play like us."

"He doesn't belong here," the boy hissed, loud enough for the others to hear. "He's an outsider!"

Mitsui took a step back, anticipating a head butt as Hanamichi turned to him. "Hehe, I was just kidding…"

The redhead briefly glanced around him and saw that most of the people were looking at them. They were expecting the idiot red monkey to head butt Mitsui or start another brawl. They were expecting him to raise hell or something. But no one expected _that_ reaction from him.

Hanamichi stared at Mitsui, saw him step back. Felt his hands on the orange rubber ball, gripping tightly. The words were echoing in his mind, refusing to stop and now, they were ten times louder.

_"We don't allow outsiders in."_

__

"He's the outsider of the team! An amateur who knows nothing about the sport."

"An amateur."

"Do'aho."

"He doesn't belong here. He's an outsider!"

_Outsider_. _Outsider_._ Outsider_. _Outsider_. _Outsider_. _Outsider_. OUTSIDER.

_"We don't allow outsiders in."_

The ball dropped unto the ground without so much as a word and Hanamichi slowly nodded. "You're right," he whispered, almost inaudibly that you'd think he was whispering to himself. Everybody watched him walk toward the locker room, eyes still glazed and trance-like. Ayako rushed to him and frowned.

"We still need to practice your basics, Sakuragi," she reminded.

He paused at the door and looked at her, standing next to him. "You're right, Ayako. _No outsiders in_."

~*~*~*~*~

Tbc

Liked it? Hated it? Lost your lunch? Gifts? Threats? Praises? Mail me and tell me!

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Notes:

This is just the prologue of the story so... yeah, it's short. Okay, I now Hanamichi's out of character. But well, you'll see why in the plot. ^_^ I've always been interested to know what'll happen if he leave the team. So there, I wrote a fic for it. Hehe. More soon [I hope]. Ja.

Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]

May 2002


	2. Part 1

Title: Outsider

Author: Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]

Pairings: RuHana

Warnings: Shounen Ai, cursing and some stuff but they're relatively harmless... ^_^

OOC as well, but you'll see why

Notes: This is actually important and not just minor rambling. If you've seen the episode with the "camp-shot-training" where Hanamichi learns to do jump shots [oops! You _have_ seen it, right? ^^;; Sorry for the spoilers], you'll have to totally erase that from your memory as you read this little ficcie. Hanamichi's learning it _himself_, meaning he's his own sensei. That's all. Thanks. Back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction. ^_^

Oh, and I made up the names of Haruko's friends here. I don't think I caught it anywhere. So I'm giving them their names, hope that's okei. ^_^

==================

Part 1

The ball rolled toward him, stopping at the last second before it hit the sole of his black shoes. The boys who were playing at the court waved toward him and he kicked the ball to their direction, turning sharply away as he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets.

He had been watching those boys play basketball for some time now and he didn't want to waste any more of his time than he already had. Basketball was nothing to him anymore; it was nothing. Just a little game of ball. It held no importance to him.

The sun hid behind the clouds for a while and Sakuragi looked up, taking the opportunity to look at the beautiful blue sky before the sun blinded him again. It had been three weeks since he left the practice. After he stepped out of the court that afternoon, he never stepped into it again. He hadn't bothered showing up to the practices; he hadn't bothered talking to any of the guys from the team. Some of them had approached him, asked him what was wrong.

But he brushed them off, shrugging and lying to them that he was through with the sport. "Basketball is kid's play," he said. "I don't want to chase impossible dreams forever. I don't want to be trapped in my fantasies about having a life in that silly ball game."

Some had been surprised, bewildered and some had been angry. "Kid's play?" "Silly ball game?" "Didn't you want to impress Haruko?" "Who the hell do you think you are?"

They even had Haruko come after him and ask him what's wrong. As if that would've persuaded him to come back. He was a fool then, to have joined the team and be something he wasn't for a girl. He still wanted to be friends with her but that was that, just a friend.

Aota had come to him and offered a place in the Judo club. But as always, he refused. He would feel more of an outsider in that club than in the Basketball team. That's why he opted to refuse all the offers that came his way. Finally, everybody grew tired of coming to him and asking him to come back. They left him alone one by one. Even the gundan understood his need of solitude that they backed off as well, reminding him that if he needed them, he knew where to find them.

From a fearless gang member to a mainstay of a powerful basketball team, he became a Lone Wolf who traveled alone, ignoring all offers of companionship and liaison. He had become the outsider indeed.

He felt out of place in every group he came upon to. Always feeling like the alien, an unwanted character that can't seem to find his place no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did. So he just accepted the fact.

Walking quietly, he kept his head low, forcing the thoughts out of his head. Thoughts of doubt that still lingered at the back of his mind. _What if I'd been wrong? What if it was only me who thought I was an outsider?_

Do'aho. The face of Rukawa Kaede flashed in his mind. _Well, that's certainly one guy who never accepted me into the team. I was just… not talented enough. I was a beginner. An outsider._

Shaking his head in disgust for allowing himself to let his line of thinking lead back to being the team's outsider, he forced himself to think about the upcoming dinner where he was required to behave properly in front of his "family."

As he rounded the corner, he heard a muffled scream from the alley on his left and ran toward it, preparing for a fight. He was no longer a member of the team. He could afford to get into fistfights again. Not that he was the kind who looked for trouble. It was that trouble had a nick for finding him.

"Let the girl go," he said, glaring at the four guys who looked like they were in dire need of a bath. Their grim-streaked faces contorted with annoyance as they sized him up.

"Go away, kid, this isn't you business, you might end up getting hurt," one of them said, revealing a missing tooth as he spoke. The girl twisted away from his grasp but his grip on her wrists was strong. "Keep still you pretty little thing or I'll be forced to hurt you."

The girl made a face. "You're disgusting!" she spat angrily, jerking her hands away.

"Let her go," Hanamichi said, glaring at the four thugs. "That's the last warning for you. Let the girl go and I'll pretend that I didn't see you harassing her."

"I can handle this, don't worry," the girl said, glaring at the guy holding her.

"You should've pretended you heard nothing in the first place. Now you'll get it for sure!" one of them said, charging toward the young redhead, his fist raised.

"You picked the wrong girl to mess with," the girl hissed as she delivered a swift, well-deserved kick on the groin on her aggressor's direction. Then jerking away, she elbowed him as he doubled over with pain.

Giving him one last kick that rendered him dizzy and crumpled on the ground, she turned to the other one holding a knife, pointing it at her. She noticed the guy who intervened was busy knocking down the other two. "You're turn, buddy," she smiled sweetly before somersaulting and landing on top of the guy's back, the knife lying safely out of his reach on the dirty concrete floor.

She turned to the redhead and smiled as she saw the other two were already lying facedown on the ground. She dusted her skirt and straightened up. "Thanks. But I could've handled it," she said, tilting her head towards the unconscious men.

Hanamichi shrugged. "I'm sure you could've," he said, noticing the crumpled form of the guy who was holding her captive only minutes ago. Then he noticed her hair, recognizing the long sun-kissed mane. "I know you…"

"So do I," she smiled. "But I think you only know me as 'that foreign girl who barged in at practice,' am I right?" Hanamichi only nodded in response. "Diana Brown," she extended her hand. "Sakuragi Hanamichi, basketball Tensai, right?"

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, no basketball Tensai," he smiled wryly, taking her hands and giving it a brief yet firm shake. "I won't ask if you're a foreigner, it's obvious."

She chuckled. "Yeah, grew up in America. Vincent thought dumping all the way here would stop my gangster days and teach me a lesson or two about being the proper lady."

Hanamichi sensed that she was a bit bitter about having been sent to Japan. From her tone of voice, her relationship with the Vincent-guy she mentioned didn't seem sweet and harmonious. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She laughed. "So am I. Don't worry, it's no big deal. Well, you helped me—even though I didn't really need it—I suppose ice cream would be okay enough a treat?"

"You don't really need to do that," he shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets again.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her cheerful voice and friendly aura not matching the first impression you'd have of her. She was tall and striking, her beauty wasn't that of an ordinary girl, and it wasn't due to the fact that she was a foreigner. Her features, pretty and charming enough had some sort of edge to it. One look at her and you'd know she wasn't one to back down from any fight. And her little run-in with the guys back at the alley proved her skills in protecting herself.

"Are you done studying me? Or do you have to psychoanalyze everything first before you accept my ice cream offer?" 

Her voice snapped him out of his trance-like state and he smiled sheepishly. "Ice cream sounds good," he said. "There's an ice cream parlor not too far from here. We can walk the remaining three blocks to go there."

"Then let's start walking," she said, taking hold of his arm and hooking her arm with hers.

~*~*~*~

"Look, she's with them again," Eimi whispered, barely catching herself from pointing towards the pretty first year laughing with the Sakuragi gundan as they passed by them on their way toward their classroom.

Haruko's eyes gaze at Hanamichi's back and she sighed. "It's almost been three weeks since he left the team. Sakuragi…"

Fuuko shook her head. "Don't worry about him. He's not fit to be in the team anyway. Didn't he just quit for no reason? If he's a quitter like that, the team's better off without him."

"Why does it seem to me as if you guys never really liked him?" Haruko asked, turning to her two best friends who just shrugged. "He's really nice, you know. I wish you'd give him a chance."

"As far as I'm concerned, he's a quitter, he's rude and obnoxious. And most of all, he doesn't deserve you worrying over him," Fuuko shook her head. 

Then paused, she saw the foreign girl standing at the hallway. She assumed the others already went in their rooms while she stood there alone, hands on her hips. Diana, she heard her name from the grapevine, glared at her before turning around to walk toward section seven.

Fuuko swallowed hard. "I think Sakuragi and that foreign girl are perfect for each other. They both have the temper and they both seem like the type to bash anyone when they feel like it."

Haruko glanced at her, slightly frowning. "But Sakuragi's…"

Eimi grinned slowly. "Oh, don't tell me. You have a crush on him!"

Haruko blushed. "No! That's not it. I'm just concerned because we need him for the IH! That's all!" She tried to cover her face, hot and blushing deep crimson. Did she really have a crush on the redhead? "I don't have a crush on him!" she insisted. Her friends only laughed.

Few hours after lunch break when her friends continued to tease her about Sakuragi, Haruko was watching the team practice with her friends. She glanced at her right, expecting to see Sakuragi's friends but her eyes lowered when she didn't find them. She forgot.

He was no longer part of the team.

There was no reason for Sakuragi's friends to hang around practice anymore. They didn't have Sakuragi to laugh at, tease and cheer on. Her gaze fell on the team at the court. Kogure had taken Sakuragi's place. The team practiced as they had before Sakuragi joined them. It was like the first year had never been there.

Why did you leave, Sakuragi? Haruko asked in her mind, desperately wanting to hear the answer. It just didn't feel right anymore. It was like wherever she looked, she expected to see him. And he wouldn't be anywhere.

She heard from the people that he and his friends, with the addition of the new American girl, had gone back to their old activity. They were cutting classes and messing around again. And she heard from a classmate of Sakuragi's that they were getting into fights as well.

"Are you really gone, Sakuragi-kun?" she asked quietly as she stared at the team practicing shooting. The gym was no longer filled with the redhead's boisterous laughter or proclamations of his Tensai-ness. The practice no longer seemed as fun and exciting as before when he was still there. Somehow, his absence created a huge void that no one can seem to fill.

~*~*~*~

Hanamichi opened the door of the tiny apartment he lived in. He deposited his bag on the floor and kicked off his shoes then slipped on the slippers. He gingerly touched the bruise on his left eye. They had gotten into a fight that afternoon with another group of second year from another school. They thought it was funny that they had a girl with them in their group.

Diana proved that even if she was a girl, she kicked ass better than any man. She single-handedly severed three of the eight guys. As he stood watching her deliver swift kicks, he had his guard down and the bastard that he was fighting took that opportunity to try and make his fist part of Hanamichi's head. He retaliated by returning the punches and kicks. 

But now he had to take care of the bruise. His mother hated it when he showed up for dinner with Band-Aids. "It doesn't reflect well on your behavior," he quoted her from the last time they had dinner as a whole family a month ago.

"You're home early?" he asked aloud in a high-pitched, shrilly voice, doing a damn good imitation of his mother's voice. "You're bruised! Let me see that."

Snorting in disgust, Hanamichi dropped the act. That was how his mother used to be before she remarried five years ago. After her marriage with a well-off businessman, she moved in with him. She insisted he move with her but he declined. He didn't want to leave the apartment he grew up in for a house full of people he didn't know and care about. He insisted he was going to be all right living alone in their old apartment.

She finally relented and told him to visit them often. But after his baby half-sister was born, she seemed to have forgotten she had another child. She called every now and then to remind him of the "family dinners" at the mansion where he was to dine with the whole "family" once a month. And she sent him lots of money for his allowance. But since she remarried, Hanamichi never felt more orphaned.

He couldn't help but feel as if the woman that was his mother turned into someone else. Her long black hair which she always kept down because his father loved it's silky beauty was now always in a tight bun. And she wasn't as warm and loving anymore when they got together. She always chastised him for acting more and more like a gangster and she never seemed to have approved of his playing basketball. But she said it was okay with her. It kept him off the streets and fights.

Shaking his head, he headed for the answering machine and pushed the button as he pulled his shirt off. There were five messages for him. They were all from his mother, demanding where the hell he was.

"Hanamichi, this is your mother. Where are you, honey? Don't forget the dinn—" 

_Delete._

"It's already five, I suppose your practice is over since I asked your coach to let you out early this afternoon. Where are you?" 

_Delete._

"Sakuragi Hanamichi! I know you're there, pick up the phone or go—"

_Delete._

"Where are you? Don't be late for dinner, you've been late the past month and I don't want you to be late again, you hear me? Pick up the—"

_Delete._

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, BOY? I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, PICK UP THIS GODDAMN PHONE OR ELSE I'LL—"

_Delete_.

He was surprised it took his mother five tries before she lost it. Shrugging, he went to his bedroom and started to get ready for the dinner. As much as he hated going to the semi-formal affair that was the monthly family dinner, he had someone he was looking forward to in seeing.

Hanamichi, dressed in a crisp white long sleeved shirt and tailored slacks, rang the doorbell. After a while, a maid in a black uniform opened the door and smiled at him, bowing slightly as he entered. He didn't need anyone to tell him where they were. He knew the drill by now.

He made his way toward the sitting room where the family stayed before they were called for dinner. He was sure Yuuji was waiting for him inside, waiting to show him just how much he improved his mother's life by marrying her.

He knew the man loved his mother. But the older man never passed a chance to subtly tell him how lucky they were that he and his mother got married. Especially when it came to his education. He was the one supporting him.

When he entered the room, he saw that they wouldn't be dinning alone. Yuuji had visitors; probably business associates, Hanamichi shrugged. He smiled at them as his mother introduced him. Then made his way toward his mother's left side, kneeling in front of the girl he had been looking forward in seeing.

"Hello, Aisha," he said, taking the toddler's hands into his own and kissing her chubby cheeks lightly. Even if she wasn't his full sister, he still loved the little girl that was the fruit of his stepfather and mother's love. She had the same shade of brown eyes as he and had inherited her father's straight nose. But she had inherited almost everything else from her mother, making him resemble Hanamichi more.

His mother kissed his cheek as he seated himself next to her, praying that Yuuji or his visitors wouldn't pay attention to him. His prayers were heard. But somehow, it didn't make him feel the way he usually does, relieved. He felt hurt that they were treating him like he was not there.

Minako was busy playing with Aisha that she didn't pay much to attention to him. Yuuji and his friends were too engrossed with whatever business they were discussing to give him so much as a glance. He saw the clock and wished dinner would be served soon. That way, he could go home afterwards.

What is it with me lately, Hanamichi wondered, mentally kicking himself. He was feeling low all of a sudden and for no reason. He should've been used to the treatment by now. He was just a visitor in the house during these dinners. It was like out of formality. 

He knew his mother kind of felt embarrassed showing her son from her first husband to her elite friends when they knew he had a history of getting into fights and trouble. And Yuuji didn't care that much about him. He would give him money but that's all. He wouldn't try to be the young man's father. He already had his little angel Aisha that he didn't need someone else's son to care for.

Finally, his prayers being answered, a servant came in and announced them that dinner was ready. Standing up from their seats at the expensive couches, Yuuji and the three with him stared to walk toward the dinning room. Minako nodded to her son to follow them as she took Aisha in her arms. They did all this in silence, except for the men who were still discussing business transactions.

Dinner ensued uneventful for Hanamichi. The men still occupied with their business talk ignored the mother and her children. The servants served them their food in silence while Minako tried to fill in the silence between them with her plans for shopping for Aisha's clothes since the men weren't trying to include them in their conversation.

"I think I'll take little Aisha to Disneyland in a week or so. I bet she'll enjoy it there. I better shop for her clothes then, don't you think, Hanamichi?" she asked, looking up from her food and smiling at her son.

He nodded, his eyes trained on the young maid feeding his sister to his left. The girl was using her expensive silver spoon as a slingshot; food becoming airborne as she laughed and clapped her hands happily. He smiled at her direction. Despite the cold pretense of care that the whole mansion emitted, he still found warmth in it through his half-sister.

Aisha looked at him and laughed, launching a mangled lump of dark green goo in his direction. Thankfully, it landed half a foot short of its destination, staining the posh lace-trimmed table cloth he knew must've cost more than his mother's old job's weekly wage. He smiled at her and gave her a wink as he heard his mother's sharp intake of breath.

~*~*~*~

"I don't want to see any scars or bruises on you next time, alright?" Minako said, keeping her tone stern as she eyed the Band-Aid on her son's face. She reached for his hands and pushed a wad of money on his palms. "I know it's not that much but take it. I shudder at the notion you're still stuffing yourself with that no-cook, instant cup noodles you love so much. Didn't I tell you there are too much additives in those?" She shook her head disapprovingly. "At least let me send Mena to cook your meals."

They were standing at the door of their mansion and Minako was giving her son her last minute "do's and don'ts" for the hundredth time as she always does before he leaves after the dinner. Aisha was standing by her side, waving at him happily and laughing every now and then for no apparent reason.

Hanamichi shook his head, pocketing the money his money gave him. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled. "Don't bother. Besides, I like those cup noodles. I'd rather have them than those steaks you cook only halfway."

"It's better that way, honey," Minako said wryly. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

Hanamichi nodded, feeling his cheeks burn. Even though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he missed his mother hovering around his back like a mother hen; always minding his business. At least it made him feel assured that she cared and was concerned for him. "I've survived the last five years, don't worry. Tell me when you'll go to Disneyland. Maybe I'll even go with you."

She nodded. "That's a good idea. Oh, by the way, ask around your school for someone who wants to baby-sit Aisha, okay? Her last sitter quit yesterday after Aisha accidentally burned half of her skirt," Minako shook her head in exasperation. "Youngsters nowadays. Can you believe what that girl said? She told me my little angel was naughty and had a devious streak in her even in her young age. Can you just believe that?" She shook her head again.

Hanamichi smiled. That was the third sitter this month. "Don't worry, I'll ask around. And if I can't find anyone, I'll take care of her while you do some shopping," he said, patting Aisha's head lovingly. He was rewarded by a smiled. "Well, I better be off. I still need to get up early tomorrow."

"Won't you let me send you home through the family car?"

"No need for that."

She sighed. "If you says so. Alright, angel, say bye-bye to Hana-chan."

Aisha lifted her arms and Hanamichi took her in his arms then raised her above his head, turning around as she squealed in delight. After a while, he put her down and kissed her on both cheeks. "Now be a good girl and don't try burning skirts again, okay?"

"Ayi-chan will be good," the toddler promised, eyes widening as she displayed the very picture of earnest innocence with her cinnamon eyes. Then smiled. "Hana-chan will go to Disneyland?"

"Maybe," he said, tugging playfully on her silky black hair. "Okay, I'll go now. See you next time?"

"Next time!" the girl cooed, clapping her hands happily. Then tugged on her mother's skirt. "Hana-chan stay longer?"

"He needs to go to school early tomorrow," Minako tried to explain to her little girl. "Don't worry, he'll be back."

"School…" Aisha nodded. "Ayi-chan go to school too!"

Minako nodded. "Yes, angel, you'll go to school soon too. She turned to her son and smiled. "Alright then, be careful on your way. It's not that far but I know how tiring walking toward the station is. Be careful," she repeated. "And no fights."

Hanamichi sighed, shaking his head. When would his mother understand that trouble loved finding him? "Okay. I'll be going now. Thanks for the dinner. Goodnight," he said, stepping out into the porch. Halfway across the driveway, he turned and waved at them before they closed the door and he continued on his way home.

The rest of the way home had been humdrum. It was when he was a block away from his apartment that strife showed its ugly face. He passed by a basketball court while he walked toward his apartment, not minding the semi-darkness he was walking in, as the only light source was the streetlight with its dim light. The moon's light provided little assistance as the trees that lines up the neighborhood shaded every inch of the street.

He paused by the court, a hand gripping tightly the metal railing while he shoved his other hand deeper in his slack's pocket. He missed the practice they had every afternoon. He missed having the feel of the hard rubber ball in his palms as he passed it to his teammates. Most of all, he missed the rewarding euphoria brought about by the sound and feel of the ball slamming against the basket as he dunked. Leaving the team left him feeling somewhat empty as he longed for the times he played basketball.

But he couldn't get over the impression that he was still the outsider. That he was merely a visitor who had been appreciated but had worn out his welcome. That's why he couldn't bring himself to go back to the team. It had always been his rule not to impose himself on others. Sure, he fought. He was rowdy and he demanded a lot of things. But one thing his father taught him that he never forgot was never to force yourself onto others. And if the team didn't want him, he'd go.

Shaking his head sadly, he wondered briefly if Yohei was still up. He needed to talk to someone who understood him well enough. As he was about to leave, he saw that whoever played on the court before had forgotten their ball as it lay at the middle of the dimly lit court.

Shrugging to himself, he walked toward the entrance and took the ball in his hands, marveling at how it felt perfectly in his hands. Dribbling the ball, he wondered if his skills had gone rusty. He hadn't played in weeks and his exercise had gone back to fighting. Performing the lay-up shot Haruko taught him months ago; he smiled in satisfaction as it landed perfect at its aim, at the middle of the hoop.

The team may not let him play with them but that didn't exactly mean he couldn't play basketball altogether. He undid the top few buttons of his shirt and started dribbling the ball again, loving the sounds of its dull thud against the cemented floor. He continued to play for a few minutes longer, oblivious to the scrutiny he was being subjected to.

Rukawa was surprised to hear someone playing at the court he left only minutes ago. He took a quick break from practicing to check on his bike and make sure that it wasn't heaping with fan mail as it had been three nights ago. And when he returned, someone was playing on the court. Probably even using my ball, he thought darkly as he increased his pace to see who it was.

If he was surprised to hear someone playing, he was stunned to see who it was.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood under the ring, dribbling the ball expertly. The yellow light from the court's corner did wonders to Hanamichi's skin, as he seemed to glow as he played. Rukawa's breath hitched when the redhead stopped and looked at him, his chocolate brown eyes staring right back at him.

He stopped with his dribbling and the ball hit the ground with one last thud before it rolled away from him. Rukawa's pounding heart paused from its rapid beating and did a triple somersault as Hanamichi's eyes softened for a second. Then frowned. "Kitsune?"

The fox-eyed boy blinked as his heart's beating returned to normalcy. "Do'aho," he muttered, walking toward the court and picked up the ball. "Playing basketball alone?"

He stiffened. "No, I just saw the ball and thought I'd see if my skills were still there as I've not played for a while. I was right, I'm still the genius!" he said proudly, followed by his annoying laugh. Then he gestured at the ball. "That must be yours."

Rukawa nodded. "I practice here at night." He didn't know why he said that. What could have made him lose his sanity that he told this baka that he practiced here at night? What purpose would it serve him? Or the do'aho in front of him?

Sakuragi shrugged. "You need the practice anyway," he said. Not losing even a bit of his conceitedness after all this time. "Good luck with your ball-playing club," he said, starting to walk away.

Rukawa didn't understand it but he didn't want to him to leave just yet. "Why?"

The other boy paused, not sure if he heard anything or it was his imagination. Rukawa's question was spoken so softly it was almost inaudible. "Huh?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

Rukawa's blue eyes were trained on the ground as he felt those beautiful brown eyes on him. "Why did you leave?" He looked up in time to see the visible stiffening from the boy in front of him.

"That's none of your business," Hanamichi replied. "I realized I had too much talent to waste it on something as meaningless as basketball. I don't like wasting my time playing a stupid sport."

"You used to like it."

"Those who like basketball are idiots who don't have anything as they cling to something as playing ball. They don't have anything better to do."

Rukawa was hurt by what Hanamichi said; but didn't show it. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing him affected. "You live around here?" Hanamichi nodded.

"I didn't know what." Liar! Rukawa shouted in his head. He knew Hanamichi lived a block away from the court. That's why he chose that particular court to practice at. He also knew Hanamichi lived alone. And he knew the exact address he lived in. Yes, he was stating to turn into a stalker. It was scary.

"I better go, assignments," Hanamichi said. He gave Rukawa a wave of his hand that was meant as a goodbye that seemed too dismissive to the raven-haired boy but said nothing.

After he left, Rukawa held the ball close to him since Hanamichi had touched it moments ago. Then sighing at how silly he was being, straightened up and walked toward his bike. "Do'aho," he muttered; not sure himself of he meant Sakuragi or himself.

Tbc


	3. Part 2

Title: Outsider

Author: Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]

Pairings: RuHana

Warnings: Shounen Ai, cursing and some stuff but they're relatively harmless... ^_^

OOC as well, but you'll see why

Notes: This is actually important and not just minor rambling. If you've seen the episode with the "camp-shot-training" where Hanamichi learns to do jump shots [oops! You _have_ seen it, right? ^^;; Sorry for the spoilers], you'll have to totally erase that from your memory as you read this little ficcie. Hanamichi's learning it _himself_, meaning he's his own sensei. That's all. Thanks. Back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction. ^_^

P.S. warning: this was written after finishing half the bag of Hershey's TasteTations. So yeah, Kuroi's a bit more hyper than usual and sugar-high. Btw, I love Hershey's TasteTations, especially the chocolate ones. Yum! ^_^

=================

Part 2

"Hey, I was calling you last night but you weren't home," Diana said, plopping next to him on the hard cemented floor, shielding her eyes from the sun as she stretched under the building's shade. A squall came and ruffled her long blonde hair.

Next to her, Hanamichi closed his eyes. He was still tired and lacking sleep from last night and his stomach was demanding food as well. They were expecting the other four to come any time now with the refreshments. "Humum…" he said as his reply. He missed cutting classes like this.

Diana chuckled. "I used to cut class back in U.S. But it didn't just stay at school to sleep. I usually ran around with my crowd, having fun. They might've been a 'bad crowd' for some people but I always felt that I belong there," she said, her voice becoming slightly distant. Then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, what's the plan after school?"

Before he could give her another one of his incoherent monosyllabic responses, the others arrived and Takamiya grinned happily to them as he deposited the bags of chips on the floor next to them.

"There, that should last us until the last bell ring. Then we can hit the ramen shop," the bespectacled boy said, sitting with them on the floor.

The others sat too, taking a bag of chips each and opening them. Yohei offered the only girl some cheese curlz but she declined, preferring the candies and chocolates Takamiya was digging in. she glanced at Sakuragi and smiled softly. _He's missing him,_ she thought briefly before brushing the thought aside and joining in the fun and joking with the others.

~*~*~*~

She glared at guy who bumped into her, nearly crushing the bones of her big toe as he tried to get past her out of the classroom. She could never, for the life of her, understand why some people thought of going out of the room after the final bell has rung as a life and death situation. Sure, it meant freedom for the rest of the day. And yes, she was happy about it too but to push and run toward the door as if your life depended on it?

She shook her head as she grabbed her bag. She had clean up duty that afternoon so the rest of the gang had gone ahead of her to the ramen shop. Actually, it was Yohei's turn that afternoon but she switched with him last time because she had something important to do had agreed to do his duty that week. She was supposed to clean with Sakuragi but the redhead was missing. 

She shook her head and sighed. "I can't believe he's dumping it all on me," she said, grabbing the mop leaning against the wall. Tying her long hair in a simple ponytail, she started her work. She had to mop the whole room alone since her "partner" was nowhere to be found. She might as well start now so she can finish early.

Diana brushed imaginary lint off the sleeves of her uniform as she walked, making her way toward the washroom. She was finally done fulfilling her destiny, mopping the floor of the room and the hallway outside it so clean it gleamed when the sun's rays reached it. She passed by a group of girls giggling to themselves as she passed them by on her way back to the room for her things.

"Did you see that girl? She was so cute!" she heard one of them say.

"I wonder whose sister she is. I swear, if she were my sister, I'd always hug her! Kawaii!" the other girl said, nodding happily to her friend. "I heard she's been walking around the school for a while now, probably looking for her older brother or sister."

"I wish I can take her home," another one said.

"What do you think of her? A stray kitten?" Diana rolled her eyes at the girl who hushed down when she got closer. She shook her head in disbelief as she walked back to the room. She passed by another group of girls huddling together at the hallway, crowding at something.

"Kawaii!" one of them gushed.

Deciding she'd had enough of girls treating a little girl like some sort of cute stray animal, she walked toward them, smiling slightly as the girls stepped away when she got closer. She tapped the little girl's shoulder, not seeing her face because of the pretty hat she was wearing. "Hey," she said softly.

The girl turned and she saw herself looking at a pair of beautiful deep brown eyes. The girl's long black hair bounced as she did. She smiled at her. "Hello," the girl chirped cheerfully. "Have you seen Hana-chan?"

"Hana-chan?"

The girl nodded. "I told Hana-chan Ayi-chan go to school and so…" she blinked cutely at her. "'Kaachan buying clothes again so Ayi-chan walked out of shop. And asked the boy to take me here. Where's Hana-chan?"

Those girls weren't exaggerating when they said she was cute. But she wasn't about to go all giddy just because of how cute this girl is. "Hana-chan?" she repeated, brain working overtime. She knew there must be a lot of students who had Hana in their names. And that was both for girls and boys alike.

She looked at her again and smiled. Why didn't she notice it before? "I think I know where Hana-chan is," she told the girl, taking her small hand into her own.

They started to walk away together when she caught wind of the murmurs around her from the girls. She sharply turned to them and glared. "Excuse me, I'm very much aware of the fact that kidnapping is against the law. For your information, I'm taking this girl to her older brother, Sakuragi."

~*~*~*~

Rukawa caught the ball easily, not allowing the approving and admiring cheers from the crowd watching affect him. His brows knitted as he prepared to take a shot. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate on anything that day.

He played basketball superbly as always but he knew he wasn't playing to his full potential. And during class earlier, he didn't fall asleep, which was already some sort of a miracle. If he was one of Japan's best basketball players, he was one of the world's greatest sleepers.

But nothing could make him sleepy. Not even his teacher's monotonous ramble about the periodic table and the elements—things that usually made him feel drowsy just thinking about the notion of discussing it in class.

Akagi nodded in approval as the ball went in. But Rukawa inwardly flinched as the orange sphere touched the metal ring, disrupting its supposedly graceful flow. He followed suit with everybody else as they fell into a single line, waiting their turn to shot the ball.

Practice dragged on and the raven-haired boy wanted nothing more for it to end. As they moved on to passing, his already dwindling concentration finally broke and the ball sailed way past the waiting hands of Yasuda.

The older boy was already running toward the ball that rolled outside toward the small courtyard beside the gym when Rukawa called out to him. "I'll get it," he said quietly, jogging out.

The second year only nodded mutely. Rukawa was being unusually quiet that day, too quiet even for him. He figured something must have been bothering him. The momentary fresh air outside would offer him might help him relax.

Rukawa scanned the area for the ball but saw nothing. He finally caught sight of it resting motionlessly at the near middle of the courtyard. As he made his way toward it, he heard a cheerful shriek from behind him. He turned around and saw a little girl running toward him, no doubt after the ball.

"Bally!" she shouted happily, giggling to herself madly.

"Ayi-chan!" the newcomer shouted after her, running as she tried to keep up with the gleeful bundle of energy. "Come on, we'll go see your oniichan!"

The girl paused then nodded, still giggling a bit. "But I'll get bally first!" she cried out, running ahead.

Obviously, she wasn't the kind who paid attention to where she was going. For if she had, she would've seen Rukawa and she wouldn't have stumbled backward, falling flat on her behind when he collided with his long legs.

Rukawa crouched next to her, helping her up. He expected her to cry and shatter his eardrums but she didn't. Instead, she smiled at him and started laughing.

"That was fuuun!" she clapped her hands happily. Then frowned, looking at him closely. "You're a giant!" she exclaimed, looking at him up and down. "Like Hana-chan! Hana-giant!"

The girl finally caught up with them. When she saw Rukawa, she smiled. "Why hello there, Rukawa," she greeted, kneeling next to them and dusting the dirt of Aisha's white dress. She knew from the looks of her clothes that they were expensive.

Rukawa picked up the pretty white hat that fell off the girl's head when she was knocked down and handed it to her. "You better be careful next time, alright?"

"You should know better than to bully little girls, Kitsune."

They turned around and saw Hanamichi standing behind them hands shoved in his pockets as usual. "It's a good thing this little monster has strong bones or her mother would've raised hell if she broke anything."

"Hana-chan!" Aisha exclaimed, jumping up and launching herself at him. "Ayi-chan went to school like she said!"

Hanamichi caught her easily mussed and her hair, chuckling as she cried out in protest. When he put her down on the ground, Aisha was making faces. "What's with the face?"

"Kaachan said to keep my hair neat," she said. Then grinned. ""But I like it better this way!" she said, shaking her head wildly. She stopped then turned to Rukawa. "Hana-chan, another giant, like you!" she pointed at Rukawa.

Her brother laughed. "We're not giants, just tall." He turned to Rukawa. "Kitsune, my little sister, Aisha. Ayi-chan, be polite to Kitsune."

The little girl nodded. "Kitsune-chan?"

Rukawa shook his head. "No, my Kaede-kun."

Aisha shook her head. "Iie, Kitsune-chan!" Then ran past him and took the ball that had been lying on the grass all this time.

Diana burst out laughing. It seemed as if Rukawa would be stuck as the Kitsune as far as these two were concerned. She then turned to Hanamichi. "Sakuragi Hanamichi, you owe me. Not only did I clean alone when you were supposed to be helping me, I also saved your sister from being ogled at like some stray kitten!"

Hanamichi smiled at her guiltily. "Oops, sorry about ditching cleaning duties like that. And thanks for bringing Aisha here. How 'bout I make it up to you with ice cream?"

"Ice cream!" the girl exclaimed, kicking the ball lightly.

Diana nodded. "Sure, looks like Aisha would be hungry after playing with that basketball."

Rukawa remembered why he was there. The ball!

Hanamichi took the ball from Aisha, who was getting ready to kick it and handed it to Rukawa. "There you go, Kitsune. You can go back to practice now."

He nodded and took the ball, his fingers brushing lightly with the redhead's. He blushed and looked down, avoiding Hanamichi's eyes. Now that he had the ball, there was no reason for him to stick around. "I'll, uh, I'll go now," he said, having difficulty with words. He turned to Aisha and smiled at her.

It wasn't a big smile, not as big and wide as hers anyway. But it was a smile and a smile form him was almost priceless. The two didn't notice him smile, as they were too busy that time discussing ice cream. But Aisha saw and returned it. "It was nice meeting you, Ayi-chan."

"Hai, you too, Kitsune-chan!"

The two sweatdropped. The nickname really was stuck with Rukawa. Hanamichi frowned. "Hey! How come you let her call you Kitsune?"

"Because she's not a do'aho," he answered simply. Turning around with the ball on his hand, he walked back toward the gym. As he rounded the corner, he made sure no one was watching and crouched behind a hedge.

The three were still at the middle of the small courtyard with Aisha running around happily while the two teenagers sat on the ground, talking. Rukawa felt a tinge of jealousy toward the foreign girl as she laughed and talked with the redhead.

"Why can't we be like that?"

"Can't be like what, Rukawa?" Kogure asked, standing behind the crouched boy. He went out to check on him when he didn't come back after fifteen minutes when he retrieved the ball.

"Found the ball!" the normally expressionless and wordless boy exclaimed, voice a tad too loud in Kogure's opinion as he grabbed the ball resting next to him and stood up. "We can go back and practice now, sempai."

Kogure nodded as Rukawa passed by him ball in hand. He wasn't about to be fooled. He knew perfectly well that he wasn't really looking for that ball when he was crouched behind the bushes.

Rukawa was spying on Hanamichi.

~*~*~*~

"I knew I'd find you here," Diana commented as they watched Aisha frolicking around the grass. She smiled at him. "If you miss playing with them, you can go back. No one's stopping you."

"They don't want me."

"Says who?"

"Nobody has to say it."

Diana shrugged. "If you says so." Then paused. "She doesn't call you Hana-oniisan or something? I think it's a custom for your people to put tags at the end of the names or something."

"She's got issues with addressing people properly. She puts 'chan' after the names of the people she knows and it's good enough for her. She's spoiled that way since she gets away with it. It's been my mother's biggest achievement that Aisha's calling her kaachan instead of Minako-chan," Hanamichi smiled.

She laughed. "I guess she's that spoiled, huh?"

"Her parents spoil her. Fuuji gives my mom lots of money and she buys Ayi-chan a lot of things she rarely uses. I guess people with a lot of money are like that, they have so much they don't know how to spend it anymore."

"Fuuji is your…?"

"Stepfather. He's a businessman."

His friend nodded. From the tone of his voice, he wasn't exactly thrilled to elaborate on the subject. So she let it drop. "Won't your mother be worried when she realizes Aisha's gone?"

Hanamichi shrugged. "You're right," he said, standing up. He brushed the grass off his pants and smiled at her. "Would you mind watching her while I call her and tell her it's not necessary to alert the police and the whole army?"

She chuckled. "Sure. Ayi-chan's not that hard to handle anyway."

"Can't say her past sitters share the same sentiments," he sniggered. He nodded to Aisha who looked their way when she paused from running back and forth across the grassy terrain. "I'll just call mom for a while. Diana will watch you while I'm gone."

The girl nodded and waved at Diana. Then resumed running around. The foreign girl sat on the grass, hugging her knees close to her as she watched the girl play, happily chasing after the colorful butterfly that caught her eye.

Hanamichi returned few minutes later, shaking his head as amusement filled his eyes. "Caught her just in time. She was about to raise hell and demand every able man search high and low for Aisha. She hadn't realized Aisha was no longer following her to the next store half an hour after she ran off to go here." He shook his head again. "My mother forgets everything else when she's shopping."

"At least Aisha made it here safely. And good thing I saved her from being treated like some poor, helpless little furry animal," she smiled. "You should've seen how those girls were gushing over her! It was as if they were talking about a stray kitten they want to take home."

"How'd you know I was here anyway?"

Diana looked at him for a moment then sighed. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you miss it. Them. _Him_. And I've always prided myself for being smart."

"You're smart?"

"Don't you dare say I'm not!"

Hanamichi just shrugged. Then paused. "Him?"

"Forget about it," she advised, standing up. They watched the little girl play for a few more seconds in silence before she spoke up again. "You know, nothing's more miserable than being miserable because of regret. If you'd for once ponder on things and reflect on how much they mean to you, you'll see how easy the solutions are."

"What do you mean?"

"The problem with people these days is that they tend to make simple things too complicated," she answered, shaking her head as she brushed the grass off her uniform. "I think your ice cream debt's overdue. Can I collect it now? I'll get Aisha."

Hanamichi watched her in confusion as she walked toward his sister. What the hell was she trying to say just then?

~*~*~*~

Rukawa looked up from where his head was resting on top of his folded arms on the table. The girl he often sees with Hanamichi and his gang smiled at him. "Hey there, Kitsune-chan," she said, using the name Aisha insisted on calling him.

"Don't call me that," he said, eyes narrowing into thin slits as he remembered the way she laughed and talked with Hanamichi yesterday. "What do you want?"

She shrugged. "Nothing," she replied. "I passed by your room and thought I'd stop by and say hi. Hanamichi asked me to post this around the school to help him but I'm feeling generous today so I won't. Instead, I'm giving all the copies to _you_, all thirty of them so you can have the job all to yourself." With that said, she placed a neat stack of flyers on his desk, where his head had been just moments ago. "Have fun with her," she waved as she walked out.

Rukawa stared at the flyer in front of him. It was the flyer looking for a babysitter.

"Are you sure the new sitter can handle the job?" Hanamichi asked, frowning at how easily his mother hired a new one for Aisha. There used to be tests and long interviews in choosing a sitter. His mother told him she hired the new one on the spot.

Minako sighed. "The sitter and Aisha seems to get along well, I don't think there'd be any problem. Besides, Aisha only needs to be babysat once or twice a week when I'm not around to look after her all the time."

The redhead stared at the black cordless in his hand in disbelief. Why was his mother suddenly being cool about everything? She used to raise hell fussing over everything that concerned her "angel." Why hasn't she conducted a thorough investigation on the new sitter's background this time?

"Won't you just trust me when I say it's okay?"

"If you think the new sitter's capable of taking care of her…"

"He seems weird but I think he can handle her perfectly well. They have this certain chemistry between them that makes me positive I'm not entrusting my angel to someone who can't take care of her well."

"If you say so… wait a minute! He?"

"Didn't I tell you? The new sitter's a young man. He came here for the job—I think I just heard the new maid scream. I'll call you again, alright?"

"But what about the—"

"Don't worry about it," his mother assured him one last time. "Ayi-chan liked him. Talk to you later, sweetie. And don't forget to feed yourself!"

"I do feed myself," he replied, but she had already hung up. He shook his head as he replaced the receiver. Why did he feel as if there was something he was missing about the new babysitter?

He was about to leave the room when the phone rang and he heard his mother's voice when he answered. "Hana? Angel accidentally soiled—how, I have no idea—almost the entire first floor of the house. We'll be cleaning all week and replacing the furniture and stuff so I hope you don't mind that Aisha stays at your place until everything's fixed?"

"What happened? How did she do that?" he asked, marveling how someone so little could do so much damage. "Wasn't the maid looking after her?"

"She went to relieve herself for a while and when she came back, Aisha was already tracking the whole house with soil and dirt from the garden," her mother explained. "Oh, I don't think Yuuji would appreciate coming home with the whole house full of dirt!"

"I'm sure he'll understand," he said. "Can't you just clean the place overnight? Not that I'm objecting to having Ayi-chan stay here with me but…"

"I was thinking she could stay upstairs until everything's clean but knowing her… I'll send her and the maid there tomorrow morning. Her babysitter will arrive in the afternoon—let me call him and everything will be okay."

"You don't have to hire one, I'll take care of Ayi-chan," he said.

"No, no, I'll call him and that's final. You go to your basketball practice, alright?"

Hanamichi bit his lower lip guiltily. He still hasn't told her that he was no longer part of the team. She still thought he attended the practices in the afternoon. "There's something I have to tell you," he began. "The truth is—"

"That can wait, dear," she said, cutting him off. "Yuuji just came home. And he's not exactly praising Aisha for plowing the first floor with dirt. They'll be there in the morning, bye!"

"Mom, wait!" he exclaimed but again, she had already hung up. Replacing the receiver again, he sighed. "I guess there's nothing I can do about it," he said aloud. Whenever concerning his family, his mother was the figure of authority. Her words are laws.

"I suppose I should fix the old guestroom for Ayi-chan and her maid," he said aloud, to himself. He made his way toward the room across his and switched on the lights. It was a Thursday and he was sure his sister would be staying with him all weekend so he brought out all the toys he kept in the cabinet and neatly placed the stuffed animals on the bed.

There was a small cot at the storage room so he could bring that out for the maid since he knew how much of a bed hog Aisha was. He dusted the tabletops of the room and removed every expensive and fragile object from the room. The last time Aisha stayed over, she had a "snowball" fight with her babysitter. And since there weren't any snowballs, she improvised by hurling whatever her hands made contact with, not the least bit concerned that it was a beautiful piece of china she was tossing.

As Hanamichi turned off the lights, he briefly wondered who Aisha's new babysitter was. Was it someone from school? He had asked Diana earlier that afternoon to post flyers looking for a babysitter for Aisha. Was it someone he knew?

Tbc

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Sorry it took me forever to write the next part! -_- But school started for me [while it was ending for most of you] so I had to pause from writing as I adjust to the back-to-school crap that goes with it. ::makes face:: Sorry tot hose who had to wait long for the next part [are there even who are people reading the fic?] ^__^


	4. Part 3

I don't know what happened (why it's !!!!!!!!!!! instead of the story) when I posted this one few days ago. So I'm doing it all over again. ^^;; Hope you guys like (and I hope it works this time) . ^_^

Title: Outsider

Author: Kuroi Tenshi [[kuroi_22@hotmail.com][1]]

Pairings: RuHana

Warnings: Shounen Ai, cursing and some stuff but they're relatively harmless... ^_^

OOC as well, but you'll see why

Notes: This is actually important and not just minor rambling. If you've seen the episode with the "camp-shot-training" where Hanamichi learns to do jump shots [oops! You _have seen it, right? ^^;; Sorry for the spoilers], you'll have to totally erase that from your memory as you read this little ficcie. Hanamichi's learning it __himself, meaning he's his own sensei. That's all. Thanks. Back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction. ^_^_

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Part 3

Not a second before seven, the doorbell rang and Hanamichi automatically opened it, expecting to see Aisha with one of the house servants in tow. He wasn't, however, expecting to see his mother, regal and proud in stature, to be the one standing outside his door, his sister behind her, surrounded by servants.

"I told you Aisha would be here before seven," she said, stepping into the humble apartment he (she once) called home. She looked around and shrugged. "You didn't change things much since the last time I've been here," she observed, looking at the charcoal painting she had done and hung on the wall approvingly. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I thought Aisha and a maid would come here. You didn't tell me you were going to bring a whole army of servants," he said, ignoring the exasperated sigh from his mother.

"Hana, are you saying that I'm not welcome?"

"I don't mean that. It's just that… was it necessary to bring the entire household? This place is only about the size of your living room. I don't think we can accommodate everyone. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I want to," he said, voice strained at having to deal with his mother so early in the morning.

"Yuuji went on the business trip this weekend, he'll probably be back next week so it's not a bother to anyone that they'll be here to serve the both of you," she said, as if she hadn't heard a word he said. "I've brought Moemi here, she's an expert in Japanese cuisine, as you've previously said that you don't like steaks. She'll be here to make sure you eat properly. Waverly here is the driver, he'll drive you anywhere you want to go, no matter what time. Oh, and Natsume, Setsuna and Hierra will be at your service twenty-four hours a day. I still need to call Fred and ask the next batch to come but I'll do that later. Now, you didn't answer my question. Have you had breakfast yet?"

~*~*~*~

An hour later, he was finally able to convince Minako that bringing the whole household staff was not necessary. After a heated debate with her that had futile results, he finally caved into his initial solution and pushed her (and her train of servants) out his door and locked himself in, barricading himself from maternal terrorism.

She finally gave in and agreed to send everyone back to the house and promised that she would not send the next batch. She also promised that she herself would remain in the mansion, supervising the sudden redecoration (something she'd been looking forward to do) and leaving everything in his hands.

He felt vibration coming from his pocket and sighed, ignoring the ringing phone. She hadn't left for two hours and she had already called him three times. He had enough of her talking his ear off with unwarranted distress. Aisha's going to be fine with me, mom, he said in his mind, a bit annoyed.

Nodding his head to acknowledge his friends few meters away, he then sighed. The incident with his mother earlier that morning wasn't exactly the "good morning" he was looking for. Rubbing his neck tiredly, he gave his friends a small smile when he caught up with them.

"Rough night?" Noma asked.

"Rough morning," he replied. "Aisha's staying over for a while and my mom's hell bent on making sure her angel's perfectly safe and comfortable there. Sometimes she's too much, you know?"

"It's understandable," Yohei replied, shrugging. "She's a mom."

~*~*~*~

"Sakuragi-sama?" the petite maid said, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.

Hanamichi looked up from the TV, startled at not only having company but having someone call him "sama" as well. "Yes, Setsuna?" he addressed the timid-looking girl who was assigned the task to take care of the bundle of energy called Aisha.

It was Friday afternoon and thankfully enough, said bundle of energy was sleeping peacefully inside her room after tiring her companions playing tag all over the house. Hanamichi was glad that sleep finally won in on her, as he was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"I know it's too bold and forward of me to ask this of you but may I please be given permission to take the weekend off?" she asked, cheeks coloring. "I know that it's not right for me to take advantage of the opportunity that Minako-sama isn't here but before we left the mansion, I got a phone call from my sister. Our mother is sick and I would eternally be grateful if I were to be permitted to—"

"Go," he said, smiling at her. "And you can be sure I won't tell my mom about this." He nodded as the girl smiled in response, the relief and gratitude obvious in her face. 

"Thank you very much, Sakuragi-sama."

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "But you have to do a favor for me."

She stared at him expectantly, wondering what the favor would be.

"Don't call me 'sama' it makes me seem so old," he said, smiling at her. "I'm not really that into formality stuff and you calling me 'sama' is just… weird." He smiled at her again, seeing relief wash over her face. "But you have to be back here on Sunday evening otherwise my mom will catch on when she picks Aisha and you're not here."

The girl nodded, murmuring her thanks again as she bowed and left. He gave her a flippant wave as she stood by the door few minutes later, obviously having left the task of unpacking last in case he did allow her so she didn't have to repack her bag.

Once alone in the house, Hanamichi grinned. A whole weekend with Aisha with no servant.

It was going to be a long and tiring weekend. But he was sure it would be fun at least. He had always wanted to have his sister stay with him without her train of servants but had never been given the chance. This was the first time he was going to be with her, bond and get to know her better without a pesky nanny to interrupt them. He could even teach her a thing or two about basketball if she wanted. The weekend was theirs.

Now if only he could find a way to get rid of that mysterious sitter he had yet to meet.

~*~*~*~

"I heard Hanamichi played hooky this afternoon again," Kogure heard one of the first years he passed by on his way to the gym. He's been slightly worried for his former teammate now that his cutting of classes became more frequent. He hoped he wasn't in trouble.

Even if he was no longer part of the team, the vice-captain was still concerned for him. He run into Mitsui and smiled at him, eliciting a blush from scarred boy. "Have the others gone in yet?"

His teammate shook his head. "Almost. Everyone assembled inside but Rukawa's not yet here."

Kogure frowned. "That's strange. Rukawa almost never misses practice. Do you think something's wrong? Maybe something happened…"

"I wouldn't worry if I were you," Mitsui assured the bespectacled boy. "He's capable of taking care of himself. Knowing that fox, he's probably baptizing some bench with his drool."

Rukawa stood outside the gate of the little compound, feeling small drops of rain land on his exposed neck and face. His new employer had called him the night before and had briefly told him what the little girl had done and how she was staying with his brother for the weekend. She was supposed to stay with him until he returned from practice. He gathered from her speech she wasn't aware of Hanamichi walking out of basketball practice that afternoon and not returning after.

He shrugged inwardly. It wasn't his problem; there was no need to meddle. It was nothing to him that the redhead had kept that a secret to his mother.

_Liar, a voice in his mind said. __Anything related to him concerns you. Admit it._

No, I won't, he answered the voice irritably, wondering if he had lost his mind since he's arguing against himself. He stared at the gate, left ajar that anyone who wished to can just walk in and enter. 

I'm not even needed here, he thought. He's been here since lunchtime and from the looks of it, he was not going anywhere, leaving Aisha with no supervision. I better go. I'll just tell the lady I got lost and tell her to forget the whole thing. She can find herself another sitter.

The strange thing was, his feet were moving on its own and before he could stop himself, he was already pushing the small button on the wall, unconsciously holding his breath as he waited for the wooden door to open.

~*~*~*~

Hanamichi cursed under his breath as he turned the shower off. Yohei called before he got in, reminding him that he would pass by to say hi to Aisha and get his Science book, which he had left the last time he was there with the gang.

"Trust that baka to ring the bell when I'm in the shower," he grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the towel to cover that part of him. Not even bothering to make himself halfway decent aside from the small piece of dark blue cloth, he stormed toward the door, ready to give his best friend an earful for his sense of timing.

"Stop it with the ringing, Mito!" He bellowed as he threw open the door. "You might wake Ayi-chan and you wouldn't want her around, ready to play tag after she's had her naptime. She'll be full of energy!"

He blinked at the boy in front of him in disbelief before feeling the color drain away from his face. Then return with full force as a blush. "Ki-kitsune!"

"Do'aho," his former teammate replied. "Dark blue looks good on you." He smirked, stepping in and brushing past the half-naked redhead.

Hanamichi sputtered and gaped for a good one minute before regaining his composure and glaring at him. "Don't you know breaking in is against the law, you stupid fox?"

"You let me in, didn't you?" he replied, looking at him.

Hanamichi shivered as he felt Rukawa's eyes travel along his body. Suddenly the towel gave him no assurance of privacy anymore. It was like Rukawa could see through the cloth. He held the sides of the towel tightly and cleared his throat, cursing himself for blushing damn too much. He wanted to run his room and put on his long sleeves and pants. With socks and boots even. But he couldn't do that. That would seem silly. "What are you doing here?" he asked instead.

"Kitsune-chan!" Aisha bounded into the room, smiling gleefully as she launched herself unto his legs, dangling almost shamelessly albeit happily. "You came, will you be playing with me then?"

Rukawa looked at the little girl looking so cute and so much like her brother. He reached down and mussed her hair, eyes softening. He turned to the brother. "Will you be standing there the whole night in nothing but your towel?"

He was answered by an annoyed grunt as Hanamichi closed the door and glared at him. "Alright then, I'll be back. Don't break or take anything while I'm away, all right? Ayi-chan, make sure he doesn't take anything, okay?"

Aisha nodded, now playing with the lollipop Rukawa had given her to keep her occupied for a while. "Ayi-chan is sure Kitsune-chan take no anything. Puh-wuh-mise," she smiled.

Seeming satisfied (and already exposed beyond repair), Hanamichi casually made his way toward the hallway leading to the bathroom. Once out of sight, he made a mad dash for the door, slamming it shut as if to keep Rukawa out. Leaning against the door, Hanamichi took deep breaths, trying to return his heartbeat to normal. It would do him no good to be brought to the hospital wearing only a dark blue towel.

Now what the hell was his mother thinking, hiring Rukawa to be Aisha's babysitter like that? She could very well have hired a kidnapper to look after Aisha! And sending him over his house…

Shaking his head in disbelief, the perplexity starting to slowly wear off, he stepped into the tub and finished his shower in record time. He then made his way to his room, making sure to pick out his most conservative clothes without seeming so. Now, clad in a long-sleeved white shirt and khaki pants, he was surprised to see his sister and her sitter silently watching TV. They were watching one of the taped games Hanamichi had of Shohoku.

Aisha looked up when Hanamichi entered the room and smiled. "Aki-chan plays really good, ne?" she asked, oblivious to the dark scowl that crossed Rukawa's face.

Hanamichi recalled Sendoh and Aisha meeting once when the spiky-haired player bumped into them while at the toy store. No one would've thought Sendoh had a passion for virtual pets like Aisha did. "Yes, I think he's really good, just don't let him hear you say that, okay?"

Aisha nodded then paused, looking thoughtful. "But I think Hana-chan is better!"

"Now, _that you make sure that smiling baka hear!" Hanamichi laughed, grinning as he plopped down next to her on the couch, elbowing Rukawa out of the way discreetly. When he didn't budge, he elbowed him harder yet still no response._

He turned and saw the fox-eyed boy sleeping, no doubt lost in La-la-la Land. Sighing exasperatedly, he settled in a more comfortable position, ignoring the fact that the only possible comfortable position would be to drape an arm over the back of the couch, Rukawa's head almost nestling against his chest. "Ayi-chan, how can you let this fox sleep? He's supposed to be watching you."

Aisha looked at him reproachfully. "Hana-chan, but he's tired, don't you see? He's been standing outside the gate even before Setsuna left! And it was starting to rain too…"

"He was…?"

She nodded. "Ayi-chan saw him. Ayi-chan wondered why he didn't come in earlier. He could get sick, you know. Okasan said that being outside while it rains can make you sick. Will he?"

"Will he what?"

"Get sick."

"I don't know," he shrugged, having a hard time concentrating on the game. Why the hell had the fox been standing outside that long anyway? "He probably won't. Foxes have strong resistance. He'll live."

~*~*~*~

Rukawa felt something warm and solid beneath him and when he opened his eyes, it took almost all his will not to jump. He was on top of Hanamichi!

Well… not on top _on top but kinda on top… the redhead's arm was draped around him and he was using Hanamichi's chest as his pillow. He felt a small smile tug on his lip as he recalled the feeling of having that warm solid plane against his cheek._

But the sudden movements from the cushion-covered floor made him stop savoring this temporary bliss. Aisha was sleeping on the carpeted floor, using the pillows she mounted as her bed. She kicked one away and snuggled into a more comfortable position. Rukawa was afraid her actions would wake the sleeping redhead next to him.

The television was still on, though the volume was low, something Rukawa was grateful for. He wouldn't want Hanamichi to wake up with him still half-atop. He watched the game on the screen, relishing the taped sight of the young basketball genius.

He really admired the way Hanamichi learned so fast. Now if only he could actually voice it out loud and admit it to the redhead…

"Hmm…" Hanamichi mumbled in his sleep, snuggling closer to the other boy. He slung his right arm on Rukawa's shoulders and rested his head at the crook of Rukawa's neck and inhaled deeply. "Smells good," he mumbled, still asleep.

The raven-haired boy felt a small smile grace his lips and he snuggled to the redhead. He hesitantly placed a hand at Hanamichi's head to support it then sighed contentedly. It was hard to explain but that simple act felt so…right.

He stared at Hanamichi's closed eyes and leaned closer to his face, stopping when he was only a small breadth away. He gently placed a soft kiss on the sleeping boy's lips and traced his jaw lightly with his free hand. "Hanamichi…"

Tbc

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Sorry it took forever to update. ^^;; and I know, I'm evil for leaving it to that. ^_^ ::ducks random sharp objects thrown her way:: I love you all? R&R! ^___^

   [1]: mailto:kurio_22@hotmail.com



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